Marshall is known for his ability to break and dodge tackles.[1] He led all NFL wide receivers in yards after first contact for the 2007 NFL season. Regarding Marshall's breakaway ability, cornerbackBrandon Flowers said, "Brandon Marshall is a defensive lineman playing wide receiver. He wants to inflict punishment on you. He wants you to try to tackle him so he can shove you off of him and get more yards."[1] Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said Marshall is "the toughest guy to bring down, one-on-one."[2]

On December 13, 2009, Marshall set an NFL record for receptions in a game with 21.[3] He also is one of only five players in NFL history to catch at least 100 passes in three consecutive seasons.[4]

Marshall was a letterman in basketball and track three times at Lake Howell. He played both offense and defense, as he earned All-State honors and was named Seminole County Utility Player of the Year. In track Marshall competed as a jumper. As a senior he won the Class 3A state triple jump championship, landing a personal-best jump of 14.81 meters,[5] and also placed ninth in long jump, recording a jump of 6.88 meters.[8] Also a top competitor in high jump, he cleared 1.98 meters at the 2002 FHSAA 3A District 7 Meet, placing second.[9] Marshall was a scholar athlete at the University of Central Florida, and was selected to the All-C-USA Team.[10]

Marshall attended the University of Central Florida, where he played a total of 44 games (21 starts) at wide receiver for the UCF Knights football team. He collected 112 receptions, 1,674 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in his collegiate career.[5] His best season came in 2005 as a senior. He played in 13 games and had career highs in receptions (74), receiving yards (1,195) and touchdowns (11). Marshall's best career game came in the 2005 Hawaii Bowl, where he had 11 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns.[11] He was named MVP of the game. For his efforts during the 2005 season, Marshall was selected to the All-C-USA second team.[5]

Marshall also started at safety for seven games during the 2004 season due to injuries in UCF's secondary. He made his first collegiate start at safety on October 4, 2004, against Buffalo.[12] He recorded four tackles, including half a sack. Marshall led his entire team in tackles (51) during the 2004 season.

Before the regular season began, Marshall suffered a slight tear to his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions.[14] Although the injury sidelined him for a couple weeks, he was able to return and play in 15 games (1 start) during the regular season. Marshall had a total of 20 catches, 309 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns for his rookie year. He caught a pass in each of the Broncos' final seven games of the season, totaling 18 receptions, 287 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown over that stretch.[5] The lone touchdown came during an NBC Sunday Night Football home game against the Seattle Seahawks on December 3, 2006. In that game, Broncos quarterbackJay Cutler (who was making his NFL regular season debut as a rookie) threw a pass to Marshall on the right side of the field. Marshall broke and spun away from three tackles on his way to a career-high 71-yard touchdown. It was the second longest rookie-to-rookie pass play in Broncos history.[5]

Marshall sustained injuries before the start of the 2007 season. He suffered a groin strain that kept him out of Broncos quarterback camp and team camp during May and June. He also pulled a quadriceps femoris muscle on July 10, 2007, during Broncos mini-camp.[15] The injury left him out for nearly all of training camp until Broncos head coachMike Shanahan ordered him to participate for the last couple of days.[16]

On December 13, 2007, in a Thursday night road loss against the Houston Texans, Marshall caught 11 passes for 107 yards.[17] Nine of those receptions occurred in the first half. Marshall became the only wide receiver in Broncos history to have at least 10 receptions in two consecutive games.[18] On Christmas Eve, 2007, in a Monday night road loss to the San Diego Chargers, Marshall caught six passes for 75 yards.[19] The six receptions in the game gave Marshall 92 total catches on the season up to that point, making him only the fifth wide receiver in NFL history (Lionel Taylor, Sterling Sharpe, Isaac Bruce and Larry Fitzgerald are the others) to have at least 90 receptions in their second season.[20] On December 30, 2007, in a Sunday home win against the Minnesota Vikings, Marshall caught 10 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.[21] The 10 catches gave Marshall 102 total receptions for the year – his first career 100-catch season. He became only the third second-year player in NFL history to have at least 100 receptions in a season, joining Bruce and Fitzgerald.[21]

During the 2007 season, Marshall posted team-highs and career-highs in receptions (102), receiving yards (1,325) and receiving touchdowns (7).[5] Marshall reached the 1,000-yard milestone during the 13th game of the season, which was a 41–7 home win over the Kansas City Chiefs. In the game, Marshall had 10 catches for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns.[22] Among all of the wide receivers in the NFL during the season, Marshall placed fifth in receptions (102), sixth in receiving yards (1,325), second in yards after the catch (505), first in yards after first contact (319), first in number of times targeted (170) and tied for fourth in catches that led to first downs (70).[5][23]

On March 22, 2008, Marshall slipped on an empty McDonald's bag while wrestling with family members, and subsequently, fell through a television set at his home in Orlando, Florida – cutting his right forearm.[25][26][27] According to Broncos head athletic trainer Steve Antonopulos, Marshall "sustained right forearm lacerations to one artery, one vein, one nerve, two tendons and three muscles."[27] He was treated at a local hospital and later released after needing a cast and several stitches. In early April, Marshall had the cast removed from his surgically repaired right forearm and was in a sling until May.[28] He was cleared in late-June to practice with the Broncos.[29] He later revealed that his right hand was numb during the entire 2008 season.[30]

Marshall officially received a three-game suspension from the NFL on August 5, 2008, due to off-the-field legal troubles including a drunk driving charge and domestic violence arrest.[31] He appealed the decision and won the appeal, reducing the punishment to a one-game suspension and a fine of two combined game checks, which totaled $52,353.[32]

In Marshall's first game back from suspension, he caught 18 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, in a 39–38 home victory over the San Diego Chargers.[33] The 18 receptions were a Broncos single-game record, and tied for the second most in NFL history, trailing only Terrell Owens, who caught 20 passes for the San Francisco 49ers in a game during the 2000 NFL season. Marshall's 18 receptions gave him 55 total receptions over five games, which is an NFL record.[5] He is the first receiver in NFL history to register at least 10 receptions in four out of five games.[5][34] His performance against the Chargers also earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career.[35]

Marshall received attention for an attempted touchdown celebration during the Broncos' 34–30 comeback road victory over the Cleveland Browns in a Thursday Night Football matchup on November 6, 2008.[36] With over a minute left in the game, Marshall caught the go-ahead touchdown pass and then began to pull a glove from his pants. Denver wide receiver Brandon Stokley rushed over to Marshall to urge him to put the glove away, as it could be considered a touchdown celebration prop, which is against NFL rules (a 15-yard penalty on the kickoff could be assessed).[36] Marshall later explained that he was intending to put on the glove (which was white with one half of it painted black) as a means to honor racial progress and unity in the United States, following the country electing Barack Obama as President.[37] The U.S. presidential election came two days before the Broncos game against the Browns. Regarding the attempted touchdown celebration, Marshall said, "I know at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised that black glove and that fist as a silent gesture of black power and liberation. Forty years later, I wanted to make my own statement. I wanted to make my own statement and gesture to represent the progress we made."[37] Smith and Carlos didn't initially see Marshall's attempted gesture when it happened live, but both said they appreciated and understood Marshall's intent.[38] "He wanted to make a mark in history and feel that he was a part of the change for the better," Smith said. "He had the right idea in terms of what he was attempting to do," Carlos said.[38]

On December 7, 2008, in the 13th game of the season, Marshall caught 11 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns, as part of a 24–17 home victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.[39] The 91 yards gave him over 1,000 receiving yards for the second consecutive season.[5] Marshall had his second career multi-touchdown game as well;[39] the first also occurred in a home victory over the Chiefs in the 13th game of the prior season. That game was also where Marshall eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for a season for the first time in his career.[5][22]

Marshall finished the season ranked third among NFL wide receivers in receptions (104), seventh in receiving yards (1,265), fifth in receiving yards per game (84.3), seventh in yards after the catch (419), third in catches that led to first downs (65) and first in number of times targeted for the second consecutive season (181).[40] The 104 catches were a career-high for Marshall and also made him only the ninth player in NFL history (second Broncos player) to have at least 100 receptions in back-to-back seasons.[41] He finished first in fan voting for AFC wide receivers in the 2009 Pro Bowl.[42] He received 18 more votes than Randy Moss to earn the top spot. Four wide receivers are chosen to play in the game. Fan voting accounts for one-third of the total voting (players and coaches account for the other two-thirds). He was officially picked to play in his first Pro Bowl when selections were announced on December 16, 2008. Marshall was chosen as a starter.[43]

Marshall had hip surgery on March 31, 2009, to repair an aggravated hip that bothered him during the 2008 season.[44] He returned in time for training camp in late-July; however, he didn't always fully commit to practicing. This led the Broncos to suspend him for the last two games of the preseason (he didn't play in the first two preseason contests) for conduct detrimental to the team.[45]

On December 13, 2009, Marshall set an NFL record for receptions in a game with 21, as part of a 28–16 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts.[3] He broke Terrell Owens' record of 20 catches, which occurred during the 2000 NFL season. Regarding Marshall breaking his record, Owens said, "No more deserving of a guy than he is. He's just been a hard worker....I wish him well. He's going to have a great career."[47] Marshall became the first player since 1960 to record eight career games of at least 10 catches in his first four seasons.[48] During the game against the Colts, he also had 200 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions. His 200 receiving yards were a career high. Marshall's performance earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time in his career.[49]

On December 27, 2009, in a 30–27 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Marshall caught his 100th pass of the season. He became only the fifth player in NFL history (first Broncos player) to do so in three consecutive seasons; the other four are Jerry Rice, Herman Moore, Marvin Harrison and Wes Welker.[4] Marshall was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl when rosters were announced on December 29.[50]

Marshall was benched for the team's final regular season game by head coach Josh McDaniels for failing to arrive at a physical therapy session on time.[51] The Broncos lost the regular season finale in Denver, 44–24, to the Kansas City Chiefs on January 3, 2010.[52] They missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Marshall ended the season tied for third among NFL wide receivers in catches (101), tied for seventh in receiving touchdowns (10), seventh in yards after the catch (527) and fifth in number of times targeted (154).[53]

On April 14, 2010, Marshall was traded from the Denver Broncos to the Miami Dolphins for a second round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and a second round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.[54] On the same day, the Dolphins and Marshall agreed to a four-year, $47.5 million extension.[55]

Marshall finished the season with 86 receptions for 1,014 yards and three touchdowns. His streak of three straight years with 100 or more receptions came to an end, but he did extend his streak of 1,000 receiving yards to four straight years. His best performances of the season occurred in Week 3 home against the New York Jets (10 receptions for 166 yards and 1 TD), Week 6 away against the Green Bay Packers (10 catches for 125 yards), Week 15 home against the Buffalo Bills (11 receptions for 105 yards and 1 TD) and Week 16 home against the Detroit Lions (10 receptions for 100 yards).

In the 2011 season, Marshall caught 81 passes for 1,214 yards and 6 touchdowns. It was his fifth straight season catching 80 or more passes. In the Pro Bowl, Marshall set a Pro Bowl record by catching 6 passes for 176 yards and 4 touchdowns, with another touchdown intended for him deflected. He was named the game's MVP.[56]

Marshall was traded to the Chicago Bears on March 13, 2012, for one third round draft pick in 2012 and a future one in 2013, reuniting him with former Bronco teammate Jay Cutler leading to a career year for Marshall.[57] In his Bears debut against the Indianapolis Colts, Marshall caught 9 passes for 119 yards, which was the twentieth time he surpassed one hundred yards in his career. He also caught a 3-yard touchdown pass, as the Bears would go on to win 41–21.[58] After the Bears win over the Detroit Lions in Week 7, Marshall was fined $10,500 for wearing orange cleats.[59] In Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings, Marshall recorded 12 catches for 92 yards, and passed the 1,000 yards receiving mark in a season for the sixth time in his career, making Marshall the first Bears receiver to accomplish the feat since Marty Booker in 2002.[60] Two weeks later against the Vikings, Marshall recorded ten catches for 160 yards, passing Booker's single season reception mark with a total of 101 receptions.[61] In Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals, Marshall broke Marcus Robinson's single-season franchise record for receiving yards set in 1999.[62] On December 26, Marshall was named to the 2013 Pro Bowl,[63] making him the second Bears receiver to be named to the game since Dick Gordon in 1971, with the first being Booker in 2002.[64] However, Marshall did not play in the game due to having an arthroscopic procedure on his hip, and was replaced by Larry Fitzgerald.[65] Marshall finished the season with 118 receptions, 89 catches more than the next Bears receiver (Earl Bennett),[66][67] which tied with New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker for second, behind Detroit Lions' Calvin Johnson, and third in receiving yards with 1,508, behind Houston'sAndre Johnson and Calvin Johnson.[68]

Marshall opened the 2013 strong, by catching the game-winning touchdown pass against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.[69] In Week 6 against the New York Giants, Marshall stated he will wear green cleats to support his mental illness foundation and promote Mental Health Awareness Week;[70] Marshall was expected to be fined, so he additionally said, "I'm going to get fined, and I'm going to match that, and we want to partner with a cancer-care [charity]."[71] Marshall was eventually fined $10,500 by the league.[70] Marshall ended 2013 with 100 receptions for 1,295 yards and a career-high 12 touchdown receptions, which is the third-highest in franchise history, behind Ken Kavanaugh and Dick Gordon's 13 in 1947 and 1970, respectively, and the most by a Bears player since Curtis Conway's 12 in 1995. It was also Marshall's fifth season with 100 or more receptions, which tied him with Wes Welker and Andre Johnson for the most in league history. Also, Marshall is the first player in Bears history to record multiple 100-reception seasons.[72]

On May 19, 2014, Marshall signed a four-year, $39.3 million contract. The deal contained $22.3 million guaranteed, including a $7.5 million signing bonus. Another $700,000 was available through a 2017 escalator based on a Bears Super Bowl appearance in any of the first three seasons. Marshall was eligible for an annual $200,000 workout bonus throughout the contract's life. 2015: $7.5 million, 2016: $7.9 million, 2017: $8.3 million, 2018: Free Agent.[73] During week 14 against the Cowboys, Marshall was kneed in the back by Barry Church, suffering two broken ribs[74] and a collapsed lung. Marshall left the field via ambulance. On December 5, he was ruled out for the rest of the season.[75]

The Bears traded Marshall and a seventh round-selection in the 2015 NFL Draft to the New York Jets in exchange for their fifth-round draft selection on March 10, 2015.[76] Marshall said that the Jets will be the last team that he plays for, and that he will retire if cut.[77] From Week 2 to Week 5, Marshall had gained over 100 yards in four straight games. In Week 3, Marshall surpassed the 10,000 receiving yards mark in his career. In the Week 13 win versus the New York Giants, his 131-yard game gave him his eighth 1,000 receiving yard season of his career. With this, Marshall became the first player in NFL history to have a 1,000 receiving yard season with four different teams (3 with Denver, 2 with Miami, 2 with Chicago and 1 with NYJ).[78] In week 16, Marshall recorded 115 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 26-20 overtime victory over the New England Patriots.

On July 31, 2011, Marshall announced at a press conference that he had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and that he hopes to spread awareness and understanding about the illness. Marshall said his entire professional career and adult personal life has been marred with symptoms of BPD, but only recently through treatment has he learned to consciously and effectively deal with the resulting problems of his actions that have been influenced by BPD. Marshall cited a recent study that suggests at least 35% of male prison inmates nationally, and 25% of female inmates, have been diagnosed with BPD. He said he hopes to help reduce the stigma of BPD, and encourage and lead others with the disease to receive proper care. On October 10, 2013, Marshall donned a pair of bright green Nike cleats in support of Mental Illness Awareness Week.[83] Marshall pledged to donate any fine he incurred from the NFL to charity, an estimated $5,250.[84]

According to Orlando-Orange County public records (case 48-2004-MM-012392-O), on Halloween 2004, while a student at UCF, Marshall was arrested in Orlando on charges of assault on a law enforcement officer, refusal to obey, disorderly conduct, and resisting an officer.[85]

On January 1, 2007, Marshall was present at The Shelter, a nightclub in Denver, Colorado, along with teammates Javon Walker and Darrent Williams. The trio was attending a birthday party held for and by Denver NuggetsforwardKenyon Martin. As the players were leaving the club in a limousine, Williams was fatally shot in the neck after an unknown assailant opened fire on the vehicle. Willie Clark was later charged with the murder.[86] Walker has stated in interviews that the shooter was likely a nightclub patron whose motive was retaliation after being involved in an altercation with Marshall's cousin earlier that night.[87][88]

On March 26, 2007, Marshall was arrested in the Highlands Ranch suburb of Denver on suspicion of domestic violence after his girlfriend reported that following a domestic dispute, Marshall prevented a taxi she was in from leaving his house.[89] Charges from the incident were later dismissed on May 25, 2007, after Marshall completed anger management counseling.[90]

On June 12, 2008, Marshall was ticketed for an illegal lane change, then found to be without his license and proof of insurance.[93] The case was eventually dropped as part of a plea bargain for the October 22, 2007 driving incident involving alcohol.[92]

A September 17, 2008 article on CompleteColorado.com stated that the solicitor's office in Fulton County, Georgia filed misdemeanorbattery charges on September 10 for an alleged incident on March 4, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia. Marshall was booked on March 6, then released the next day after posting a $1,000 cash bond.[94] The case was assigned to Judge John Mather in Georgia state court.[95] On August 14, 2009, a jury in Atlanta found Marshall not guilty.[96]

On March 1, 2009, Marshall was arrested in Atlanta for disorderly conduct after allegedly being involved in a fight with his fiancee, Michi Nogami-Campbell. Marshall was released on a $300 bond.[97] The charges were dropped the following day.[98]

On April 23, 2011, Marshall was stabbed near his stomach by his wife, Michi Nogami-Marshall. He was taken to a hospital and was released two days later. He has since made a full recovery.[99][100]

It was later revealed by police that Marshall's wife did make a brief 911 call, but it only described an unspecified emergency and no mention of a stabbing ever took place. She was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and is free on $7,500 bail.

On early Sunday, March 11, 2012, two days before his trade to the Bears, Marshall was accused of hitting a woman in the face at a New York club and being involved in a melee. The New York Post stated that Marshall, his wife and some friends were at Marquee when a brawl ensued, and Marshall punched the woman below her left eye, although he may have been attempting to hit the woman's friends.[102] The investigation later ended after a lack of evidence of Marshall's role in the incident.[103]